Cheryl Burke on weight criticism: “I know I’m not fat”

Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke, who’s won the competition twice, has recently been criticized for gaining weight (about five pounds) and is being called fat by stupid bloggers and message board-dwelling halfwits who probably can’t remove themselves from the couch without the help of a forklift.

Cheryl appeared on Good Morning America and said she’s still a size four despite gaining five pounds. The criticism, she said, “was a huge shock for me. The worst thing I’d have to say is that people thought I was a few months pregnant when I started the show. … I know I’m not fat, but when people keep telling you that you have to think about it. It is hard. I’ve always had that naturally curvy body since I was 11 years old.”

Cheryl also told People, “I want kids or women out there to realize you don’t have to be anorexic to be beautiful. There’s a lot of pressure living this Hollywood life. People expect to see you at a certain weight and when you gain a few pounds then all of a sudden it’s the talk of the week.”

“When I was younger, I wasn’t stick thin. I wasn’t tall. I don’t have long legs. I wasn’t naturally skinny. As I grew older, I just became more comfortable in my own skin,” she said.

about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart is a journalist who has covered reality television for more than 15 years and created reality blurred in 2000. A member of the Television Critics Association, his writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Playboy, Buzzfeed, and many other publications. Andy, 37, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. More about reality blurred and Andy.

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